BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 26: Romy Gonzalez #23 of the Boston Red Sox warms up before a game against the Detroit Tigers on September 26, 2025 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I’m almost reluctant to type this onto the page, because I fear it’s a hope so delicate that discussing it in print could endanger its very existence, but alas: the Red Sox may soon receive a boost on offense. Romy Gonzalez, the Platoon Paul Bunyon himself, will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow with AA Portland. He will play second, first, and DH, in hopes that he can return by the start of the Sox’ next homestand ten days from now. “With the power potential and the thump in the bat, we’ve got to get him involved,” said Chad Tracy. “It could be [against] lefties, it could be [at] DH, he could play second base. There could be certain righties where it doesn’t make sense [to start Gonzalez]. But whatever it is, we know the capability of the bat and the power potential that brings. We’re going to certainly get him involved.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
Romy’s return comes at an opportune time for the Sox, who still have no idea when the other Romy, Roman Anthony, will be healthy enough to swing a bat again. The problem for Anthony? His injury is actually kind of groundbreaking. “I’ve been doing this 32 years. I actually have never heard of a ring finger-isolated CMC ligament tear,” said one orthopedist. “The joints in which the ligaments get injured are usually not the CMC level … They’re at the knuckle or joints within the fingers. If you look up ring finger ligament sprain, you’ll find nothing — zero — because it’s not a common injury.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Romy Gonzalez will immediately step in and give a boost to what has been the Sox’ biggest weakness in 2026: right-handed hitting. But he won’t be the only source of righty power in the lineup. Willson Contreras has been an absolute beast. “I think the approach of making contact, trying to make contact is working,” Contreras said. “I know that I’m in a good stretch right now, but I’m trying not to overthink or think too much. I’m trying to keep my game simple, make contact and let everything happen.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Last night’s loss wasn’t solely the fault of the offense, though. While he’s generally a strong rookie campaign, Connelly Early has been faltering a bit lately and is struggling to keep the ball in the park. “I hope those come back to Earth a little bit,” said Andrew Bailey of the homers he’s been giving up. “But when you look at the grand scheme of things, he does generate some whiff. The batted ball quality is a little bit concerning in that the slug is out of the park.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
But while last night’s game wasn’t much fun for Sox fans, at least the 5,000 Scottish football fans in attendance got to see some taters. Here’s a closer look at their joyous march to the ballpark. (Justin Turpin, WEEI)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JUNE 12: Jacob Misiorowski #32 of the Milwaukee Brewers reacts after the final out of the ninth inning in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at American Family Field on June 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Misiorowski threw a complete game and allowed only one hit. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There’s no place like home and the Atlanta Braves will surely be grateful to have spent some time in their own respective beds instead of what they had to deal during what ended up being a terrible road trip against the White Sox and Mets.
With that being said, it’s not like the Braves are coming home for a cakewalk. The Giants may have a poor record but they’ve been known to spring some upsets this season and the Brewers will be bringing arguably the most talented pitcher in all of baseball to town in the form of Jacob Misiorowski. Atlanta’s going to really have to work to get things back on track, so let’s see what the week ahead has in store for them.
June 16-18: San Francisco Giants
Current Record: 29-43 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 74-88
On paper, the Braves probably couldn’t have asked for a better opponent to take on upon returning home from a rough road trip. The Giants have been pretty bad this season and outside of Casey Schmitt launching a bunch of dingers, there hasn’t been much for the fans in San Francisco to cheer about — either on or off the field.
San Francisco’s offense has been mostly middle of the road in terms of performance, as they have produced a team wRC+ of 102 off the strength of a team slash line of .257/.307/.416 with a .316 wOBA. As I mentioned before, Schmitt has largely been responsible for the power as he’s currently the only Giants hitter with over 10 homers so far this season. Unless there’s a complete disaster on Atlanta’s part, we aren’t going to be seeing the Giants hitting a ton of balls over the fence during this series.
With that being said, this lineup isn’t full of pushovers, either. Luis Arraez seems determined to continue hitting nothing but singles, Matt Chapman and Jung Hoo Lee have been productive with little-to-no power and Bryce Eldrige has been playing the role of “exciting young player” for the struggling Giants. Atlanta’s pitching staff will have to be on their game to keep this crew quiet and they have to be taken seriously — this same Giants team won a series at Wrigley Field and split a four-game series in Milwaukee against the Brewers (more on them later) so this is not a team to be taken lightly.
Still, the lineup will have to get the job done against a pitching staff that has largely struggled. Considering what ballpark the Giants spend most of their time in, it is honestly kind of shocking that they have the fifth-worst team ERA- in all of baseball (113) along with a bottom-10 FIP- (108). Then you look at what two of their three probable starters for this series have done so far this season and it all makes sense.
Adrian Houser is set to start for San Francisco during the season opener and he’s looked very vunerable on the mound all season. Of the the 13 starts that he’s made so far, he’s given up at least three runs in 10 of those starts. Five of those 10 starts saw him give up at least four runs and he hasn’t had a start of the “three runs or less” variety since May 17 against the Athletics. Meanwhile, Wednesday’s starter Robbie Ray has been a bit better but his stats have been skewed a bit after he got lit up on May 18 against the Diamondbacks for 10 runs on 11 hits. With that being said, the Nationals did get him for five runs on seven hits in his last outing so it’s entirely possible that the Braves might punish him like the Nats did.
Landen Roupp will be a different story, as he’s proven himself to be the top guy in San Francisco’s rotation so far and could really give the Braves some problems during his scheduled start on Thursday. Even if all of San Francisco’s starters do a solid job, the Braves could still turn things around late in the game if San Francisco’s bullpen continues to have issues. JT Brubaker and Keaton Winn have given opposing batters fits but outside of that, nobody else in this bullpen has really stood out as being of the shutdown variety. If the Braves are going to bounce back from that awful road trip, this should hopefully be the series to make it happen.
Tuesday, June 16 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV) Wednesday, June 17 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision) Thursday, June 18 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
June 19-21: Milwaukee Brewers
Current Record: 43-26 Projected Record: 92-70
Well, there’s no two ways around it: The Braves will probably have a serious fight on their hands once the Brewers come to town. For starters (for lack of a better term), Jacob Misiorowski will likely be starting the series opener against the Braves. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Misiorowski has essentially been dominating hitters so far this season with his near-overwhelming stuff. His heater is five mph above average, his slider and curve are both seven mph above average, and his cutter and change-up are both six mph above average. No matter what he’s throwing, it’s going to have high velocity and it’s going to be nasty. He’s thrown 54.1 innings since May 1 and has given up a grand total of two runs (only one of which were earned) on nineteen hits with just nine walks and a whopping 80 strikeouts.
Miz’s most recent start was astonishing. He pitched a complete game against the Phillies where he only gave up one hit and struck out fifteen batters on 95 pitches (a Maddux!). He was a Kyle Schwarber hit away from what would’ve been one of the more dominant Perfect Games that you’ll ever see. Assuming Milwaukee sticks to their current rotation plans, the Miz will be coming to town and the Braves are going to have their hands full.
Oh yeah, the rest of the team is still pretty good too. At this point, picking against the Brewers before the season to do well is one of those things where I’ll only believe it where I see it because this team has been a buzzsaw so far. Brice Turang has been productive in all facets of the game, old friend William Contreras has been raking, Jackson Chourio continues to be exciting, Jake Bauers is a true threat at the plate and then guys like Garrett Mitchell and Andrew Vaughn are tough to deal with. Even Christian Yelich and Gary Sanchez have been handing out lumps to opposing pitchers so far.
All that has combined for the Brewers to have one of the best offenses in baseball so far. They’ve hit for 107 wRC+ as a team (for reference’s sake, they’re right behind the Braves who have a team wRC+ of 108) and have collectively delivered a slash line of .255/.341/.392 with a wOBA of .326. Their stats are pretty similar to Atlanta’s except the Brewers are getting on base a bit more while the Braves have done a bit more damage in the slugging department. Still, Milwaukee’s offense has been getting the job done in a major way and Atlanta’s pitching staff will have a real challenge on their hands this weekend.
Friday, June 19 at 7:15 p.m ET (BravesVision) Saturday, June 20 at 4:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision) Sunday, June 21 at 1:35 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
All stats referenced were from FanGraphs before Sunday’s action so they may be slightly different
May 23, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Owen Caissie (17) runs toward second base after hitting a two-run double against the New York Mets during the second inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Sometimes, prospects end up being better trade chips than actual players. That might be the case with Owen Caissie who has already been part of two prominent trades but has yet to find his footing in the major leagues.
After being selected by the Padres in the second round of the 2020 draft, Owen Caissie was soon shipped to the Cubs as part of their trade for Victor Caratini and Yu Darvish. Once in the Cubs system. he quickly rose the ranks and established himself as a top 50 prospect, being chosen for the Futures Game in both 2024 and 2025.
After dominating AAA in 2025, he was called up to the Cubs in August but struggled in a twelve-game cameo. The Cubs were apparently not overly impressed since they sent him back down and then sent him to the Marlins as part of the deal for Edward Cabrera.
Marlins fans got excited because Maissie played for Team Canada in the WBC and batted .412 with a home run.
Owen Caissie delivered at the plate for Team Canada in WBC pool play 💪
Baseball’s No. 43 prospect slashed .500/.529/.929 with a homer, three doubles and five RBIs in 14 at-bats.
The Marlins installed him as their regular right fielder, and his season got off to a promising start when he hit a walk off home run in the third game of the season.
The good times did not continue as he went into a slump shortly after that. After showing some signs of life in May, he’s struggled in June with only two hits in the month so far.
Player development is rarely linear, so Maissie could well turn things around quickly. But as of now, he’s been far more valuable in the transaction column than on the field.
Hating on the Marlins
Would you look at that? The Marlins are at .500 thanks to a group of young players that have showed some promise. Shall we guess how this is ultimately going to end?
That young core might put it together and make the playoffs in the near future. And just as people think the team is ready to be an actual contender, management will start to ship off some of those players because they’ve begun to, or about to get more expensive.
There’s a debate about why the Marlins have been such a failure of a franchise, minus two insanely fluky World Series runs. Does ownership not spend money because the fans don’t support the team, or do the fans not support the team because ownership never spends enough money to sustain success?
It’s likely a little of both, but between the Marlins and Rays, we have a lot of evidence that Florida fans don’t pack the stadium even when the teams are good. The Marlins have had a few owners over the years, and while some of them have been among the worst to ever own a major league team, every one of them has come to the conclusion that its simply not worth spending a ton of money on the team.
Chronicling the accomplishments, shortcomings and controversies of the four owners that the Marlins have had in their three-plus decades of existence. https://t.co/ONvROXLWUw#marlins#miami#FightinFish
Back in 2020, a bunch of their fans got all in my mentions because the Marlins were better than the Phillies in the short season, and they thought they had stolen a future star in Sixto Sanchez. They’ve been quiet ever since.
If MLB ever tried contraction, the Marlins would likely be one of the first teams on the list, and only a handful of people would actually miss them.
Remembering a guy who played for both teams
Billy McMillon
In 1997, the moribund Phillies traded Darren Daulton to the Marlins, so he could finish out his career with a contender. In return, they got outfielder Billy McMillon. I attended “Billy Mac’s” first game with the Phillies, and to my delight, he launched a grand slam in the third inning as the Phillies romped over the Giants.
I was convinced the Phillies had a future star on their hands. They did not.
He would only hit one other home run as a member of the Phillies, but I appreciate the symmetry in that he hit it in his last game with the team.
— Philly Sports By Number (@philly_number) March 11, 2026
I don’t know why McMillon spent the entire 1998 and 1999 seasons in the minors – it’s not like those Phillies teams were overflowing with talent – but he never returned to the majors before becoming a free agent after 1999. He spent a few seasons as a quad-A player getting brief stints with the Tigers and A’s before moving on to a minor league coaching career.
Additional thought about the series
The Phillies’ offense had a tough time of it against the Brewers’ top pitchers, but hopefully they can start to hit better against a far less imposing trio of starters in this series:
Ryan Gusto is a quad-A caliber player with a 6.00 ERA
Former Phillie Tyler Phillips has recently switched from the bullpen to the rotation with mixed results.
Sandy Alcantara has improved in his second post-Tommy John season, but he’s far closer to league average than Cy Young winner at this point.
Then again, it isn’t hard to imagine the Phillies’ struggling to score runs against these guys. Apparently, there’s a rule that at least two – if not more – players on the team have to be in a miserable slump at any given time. In the month of June, Trea Turner and Justin Crawford both have sub-.500 OPS while J.T. Realmuto is plodding along with a .167 batting average.
Players are going to go through slumps during a long season, but is too much to ask that the slumps not be so drastic and maybe they could do it one at a time? It’s hard to win games when you’ve got three or four automatic outs in the lineup at any given time.
Last week, the Arkansas guard reportedly worked out with Sacramento, KCRA’s Sean Cunningham reported Monday, citing sources.
According to sources, former Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr. worked out for the Kings in Sacramento last week. It was not publicized and there was no media availability following his workout.
The Kings publicly have hosted pre-draft workouts for several players, such as Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Connecticut forward Alex Karaban, Kansas guard Tre White, Illinois guard Kylan Boswell and Louisville guard Ryan Conwell.
Acuff’s reported workout in Sacramento, however, was not made public.
It is no secret that the Kings have had their eye on the 6-foot-3, 190-pound prospect, especially with the team’s desperate need for a starting point guard. Acuff easily could fill that void in Sacramento’s roster, considering his scoring abilities on all three levels and playmaking skills.
In only one season at Arkansas, Acuff averaged 23.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game and shot 48.4 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range in 36 starts.
Acuff’s impressive freshman season earned the Detroit native several awards, including first-team All-America, All-SEC honors and SEC Player of the Year.
With such a strong résumé under his belt, Acuff highly is regarded as one of the top prospects in this year’s draft, making it difficult to imagine that he will remain on the board for Sacramento with the No. 7 overall pick.
Other players who have been associated with the Kings’ No. 7 pick include Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. and Houston guard Kingston Flemings.
However, if Acuff remains available at No. 7, it would be harder to imagine the Kings passing on a player with his caliber and star potential.
Two teams attempting to get back to .500 on the season and out of last place in their divisions meet at the Great American Ball Park tonight when the Mets (32-39) and Reds (33-37) meet for a three game series.
New York has won three of the last four games as they enter the series. The Mets are hitting .237 (24th) as a group this month, but have the eighth-most home runs (19). The pitching staff has carried New York to a 6-6 record this month. The Mets own a 3.81 ERA (4th), the best WHIP (1.09). and second-best OBA (.213).
The Reds have won five of the past six starts with Chase Burns on the mound, which is good news considering Cincinnati is 2-8 in the last 10 games entering this series. In June, the Reds have the second-worst batting average (.218) with the fourth-most strikeouts (112), and second-fewest runs scored (37). The Reds will need another dominant outing from Burns who's recorded 10 straight games with two or fewer earned runs.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Mets at Reds
Date: Monday, June 15, 2026
Time: 7:10 PM EST
Site: Great American Ball Park
City: Cincinatti, OH
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
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Odds for the Mets at the Reds
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: New York Mets (+119), Cincinnati Reds (-143)
Spread: Reds -1.5 (+153), Mets +1.5 (-186)
Total: 8.5
Probable starting pitchers for Mets at Reds
Monday's pitching matchup (June 15): Tobias Meyers vs. Chase Burns
The Mets’ Juan Soto is hitting .293 with 58 hits, 15 home runs and 34 RBI over 198 at-bats
The Mets’ Marcus Semien is hitting .218 with 56 hits and 60 strikeouts over 122 at-bats
The Reds’ JJ Bleday is hitting .266 with 42 hits, 12 home runs, and 30 RBI over 257 at-bats
The Reds’ Will Benson is hitting .188 with 18 hits and 38 strikeouts over 96 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Mets at Reds
The Mets are 30-41 ATS, ranking sixth-worst
The Reds are 37-33 ATS
The Reds are 42-27-1 to the Over, ranking third-best
The Mets are 34-31-6 to the Under, ranking ninth-best
The Reds are 16-19 ATS at home
The Mets are 15-20 ATS on the road, ranking ninth-best
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Reds
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Reds and the Mets:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Reds on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Reds at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 8.5
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 13: Byron Buxton #25 of the Minnesota Twins hits a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth inning of the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on June 13, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Steven Garcia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a middling week for the Twins, going 3-3, wrapping up a three-series run against AL Central rivals with a series loss in Detroit before finishing the week at home with a series win against the Cardinals. In that time, the Twins homered 14 times, with Byron Buxton making his return from running into the wall in the Royals series to hit four homers himself. Royce Lewis, who played five games at first base this week, looks like his Triple-A self with three homers as well. Starting pitching was the biggest source of consternation, with the starters giving up 24 earned runs in 32 innings pitched. For the season, the starters have combined for a 4.61 ERA, eighth-worst in the league. The team goes on a week-long road trip, heading down to Dallas and then Phoenix.
The Past Week on Twinkie Town:
Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
We’re starting a new segment called Daily Questions! Provide your opinion on the Twins and debate with the community!
Game threads and recaps are back! Commiserate with your fellow fans as we experience the season together.
The Yankees have weathered the Aaron Judge storm reasonably well and now hold a one-game lead over the Rays. The White Sox and Guardians are now tied for the AL Central lead, while the Mariners hold a one-game advantage over the A’s. Incredibly, the Twins are still only three games out of the last wild-card spot.
Nothing has really changed in the National League. It’s Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee in the top three spots. (Eagle-eyed readers will note this is the same exact thing I wrote last week). That being said, while Atlanta has a pretty large lead in the NL East standings, only two games separate the top three teams. The Cardinals, Phillies, and Padres round out the three wild card teams.
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was out of the lineup for the third straight game because he’s dealing with a mild concussion, manager Skip Schumaker said before they faced the Boston Red Sox.
Against the Kansas City Royals, Seager was trying to score from first on Brandon Nimmo’s double when he collided with catcher Carter Jensen. He stayed in the game and homered.
Seager missed 19 games in May and early June with lower back inflammation.
He’s struggling this season, hitting just .186 with nine homers and 24 RBIs.
The Portland Trail Blazers — specifically new owner Tom Dundon, according to league sources — were unsure about bringing back acting coach Tiago Splitter and giving him the job full-time. They took their time deciding between him and several other finalists, while Dundon was focused on his NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes, winning the Stanley Cup.
So the Chicago Bulls have swooped in and will hire Splitter as their new head coach, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and confirmed by multiple other reports.
Splitter came to Portland last season, hired away after leading Paris Basketball to the French Cup. He became a top assistant coach on Chauncey Billups' Portland staff, then, when Billups was arrested as part of a federal gambling investigation, Splitter was tapped to become the acting head coach. In that role, he led them to a better-than-projected 42-40 season and a playoff berth in the West, and helped develop Deni Avdija into an All-Star.
The Portland players respected Splitter. He was a seven-season NBA veteran as a player who won a ring with the 2014 San Antonio Spurs. As a coach, he has shown a strength in player development — something seen in Portland last season with Avdija, Scoot Henderson and others — and something that has to be a priority in Chicago with a roster in flux.
While it seemed logical to keep Splitter in the big chair in Portland, Dundon reportedly wasn't a fan. While Splitter was a finalist for the Trail Blazers' job, he was part of a wide-ranging search by Dundon and the Portland front office to find their cost-effective coach. While that search dragged on, Splitter started talking to the Bulls, and that team's new head of basketball operations, Bryson Graham, liked what he saw. Splitter reportedly beat out Minnesota assistant Micah Nori, Atlanta assistant Ryan Schmidt and Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. for the job.
Splitter takes over a Bulls team with a roster in transition, but led by quality players in Josh Giddey and promising young forward Matas Buzelis. There's a lot of roster changeover coming, but that will give Splitter the chance to build his own culture and playing style.
BetMGM has released its 2026-27 odds for the Stanley Cup, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are in a surprising position.
According to BetMGM's odds, the CBJ are listed at +5000 to win the 2027 Stanley Cup. That's the 16th-best odds in the league. Other teams at +5000 are the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers.
The Metro Division has the Hurricanes, Devils(+3000), and Blue Jackets as the top three in the division with the best odds. The Penguins(+6000) and Islanders(+6600) have worse odds than the CBJ.
The Colorado Avalanche are the best at +700, followed by the champion Hurricanes at +750.
The teams at the bottom are Vancouver Canucks at +50000, the Flames at +30000, and the Kraken at +20000.
Don Waddell and the Columbus Blue Jackets have some work to do, but clearly, Las Vegas is confident that the CBJ can make the playoffs.
Can Waddell make the needed moves for this team to compete? We will find out in a few weeks when free agency opens and teams start moving players around.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
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A representative for the Houston Police Department told The California Post on Monday that the NBA superstar was pulled over for some kind of traffic violation at 3 a.m. on a downtown Houston roadway.
“The driver of the vehicle identified himself as James Harden” during the stop, the HPD rep said, “and he was taken into custody for unlawful carrying of a weapon.”
Cleveland Cavaliers’ James Harden during the first half of Game 2 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the New York Knicks, May 21, 2026, in New York. AP Photo/Frank Franklin IIJames Harden was arrested at 3:41 a.m. on Saturday in Houston.
According to court documents, Harden had a handgun in his vehicle that “was not carried in a holster” while “in plain view.” He was formally taken into custody at 3:41 a.m. and booked on one misdemeanor charge of unlawful carrying weapons.
In Harden’s mugshot, which was provided to The Post by the HPD on Monday, he could be seen wearing a black T-shirt and a stern look on his face.
Harris County records show Harden was released from jail on bond later Saturday morning and given an arraignment date of June 22.
However, the records also show that hearing date was rescheduled on Monday to Aug. 3.
Harden, according to the records, has hired high-powered Texas attorney Rusty Hardin to represent him in the case. Hardin has previously repped several famous professional athletes, including Deshaun Watson when the NFL quarterback was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple massage therapists.
Messages to Hardin and his office for comment on Harden’s case were not immediately returned.
Harden, a former Los Angeles Clipper who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, has deep ties to Houston — he played nine seasons with the Rockets earlier in his NBA career.
Sources told The Post he had been out at a local hookah lounge with a large group of his friends before his arrest occurred.
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K’Andre Miller is officially a Stanley Cup champion.
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday night en route to their first Stanley Cup since 2006, and Miller played a big part in propelling this team over the top.
Being selected by the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Miller was projected to be a cornerstone piece of the Blueshirts’ defensive core.
Despite a breakout 2022-23 campaign in which Miller recorded a career-high 43 points, he was the subject of criticism throughout his final two years in New York, with his inconsistent defensive play causing concern among the fanbase and the Rangers’ management group.
So much so that when Miller became a restricted free agent during the 2025 offseason, the Rangers decided not to give him a long-term contract extension and instead trade the young blueliner to the Hurricanes in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 or 2027 NHL Draft, and Scott Morrow.
The Hurricanes then signed Miller to an eight-year, $60 million contract, a move deemed risky at the time, given his inconsistencies and flaws that had held him back with the Blueshirts.
The 26-year-old defenseman has completely flipped the narrative that plagued him in New York, as over the course of the regular season, he transformed into the sure-fire top-four defenseman that the Rangers once had hoped he would blossom into.
Throughout the Hurricanes’ playoff run, Miller was one of Carolina’s most productive defensemen, recording nine points, the second most amongst all Hurricanes blueliners, while he led all Hurricanes players, averaging 24:03 minutes per game.
Shortly after hoisting the Stanley Cup, Miller made sure to mention the criticism he received during his time playing for the Rangers and how he proved all of the doubters wrong in what was a full-circle moment.
Credit to Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky and head coach Rod Brind'Amour: they saw through some of Miller’s inconsistencies and knew he was the right fit for their structured system.
All it took was the right environment for Miller to tap into his potential.
“You look at this team and how it’s assembled: the coaching staff, our trainers, everybody was really pulling the same way this year,” Miller said. “It made it really easy coming to the rink and throwing a smile on my face and putting my best foot forward, so a lot of credit to these guys and the organization itself.”
Is there any chance the Sixers will find a core piece with the 22nd pick in Round 1 of the NBA draft on June 23?
The team sure seems to have snagged one of the top 21st selections ever in All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey. As for No. 22, below is a chronological (and unscientific) rundown of the best players drafted at that slot:
George McGinnis (1973)
After a series of contract disputes, McGinnis debuted with the Sixers in 1975. Fresh off an ABA MVP season, the do-it-all Hall of Fame forward earned All-Star nods in his first two years as a Sixer and won the Eastern Conference title in 1977. Other notable Sixers picks from the 1973 draft class include Doug Collins (No. 1) and Caldwell Jones (No. 32). McGinnis died in 2023 at 73 years old.
Davis helped the Trail Blazers win it all his rookie season. The speedy guard out of Dayton had his most productive NBA years with the Pacers, averaging 16.4 points and 5.4 assists from the 1978-79 through ’81-82 seasons. Davis went on to coach in the NBA and served as the Sixers’ head coach for Allen Iverson’s rookie year in 1996-97.
That, of course, makes life a little different for the club’s amateur scouting staff leading up to the 2026 NHL draft. Barring a trade, the Flyers will pick at 21st overall. It’s their lowest first-round spot since 2020.
So the Flyers know the draft is still critical to what they want to do, even when they’re lower in the order.
“We’ve said it for a long time, we wanted to build a team that was going to be here for a long time; not just to go for it for a year or two,” general manager Danny Briere said last month. “That’s still the same approach on my end.”
The Flyers have only five picks in this draft, which will be held June 26-27. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at 11 a.m. ET.
“I’ll tell you how I feel about drafts and I’ll be totally blunt with you,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said June 2 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think it’s f—ing bulls–t when I hear about, ‘Oh, this draft isn’t as good.’ Here are the numbers. Approximately 45 players from any draft will play 350 games or more in the NHL. It might be 47 one year, 42 another year. That’s the number — you get 45 players that’ll play 350 games or more with varying degrees of success.
“And I know this about the draft. The teams that get good players from the draft say it was a good draft. The teams that don’t get good players from the draft say it wasn’t a good draft. So when people start telling me about a draft ahead of time, I call bulls–t.”
“What you’re trying to do is find a player that you feel has the potential to be an NHL player,” Button said. “That might be a third-line center, that might be a second-line scoring winger. Hey, listen, maybe you get David Pastrnak, who’s a superstar (drafted 25th overall in 2014).
“But the focus has to be on, ‘OK, what type of player do we like, what type of player do we think the guy can be?’ And then get after it and understand what the development path is, and then try to help that player be the best he can be. Put a stake in the ground and celebrate who you’re drafting.”
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Adam Novotny
Position: Winger Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 200 Shoots: Left Team: Peterborough
Scouting report
The Czechia product is a sturdy, hard-on-the-forecheck player who can create offense through contact. He competes like a pro with his effort and skill in tight areas.
“I’d say the upside, the potential is maybe a top-six guy [in the lineup],” Daily Faceoff associate editor and prospect analyst Steven Ellis said last Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think he’s more of a safe bet at the second line, but I like him.”
Novotny put up 65 points (34 goals, 31 assists) over 58 games for Peterborough this season, his first in the OHL. He recorded a little under five shots per game and had six multi-goal games. He did so while adapting to North America as an 18-year-old.
“For the most part, it’s a big life change,” Ellis said. “It’ll take a little bit for players to figure it out, but once Novotny did, I feel like he showed he can really be so dangerous around the net. He has got a good shot and he’s a tough guy to push around because he has got a lot of muscle.”
Earning a silver medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, Novotny didn’t tear it up from a production standpoint. He had no goals and three assists in seven games, but he led Team Czechia with a ridiculous 34 shots. For some context, Martone scored six goals in the tournament with Team Canada and had 19 shots.
So Novotny did impress despite the underwhelming point total.
“I remember seeing the expected goals for him at the world juniors, he was among the best shot and play generators on that Czech team,” Ellis said. “He just couldn’t score. … This was a guy who was just truly unlucky, I think that’s the best way to kind of put it.”
“I could see him go as high as 15th,” Ellis said. “I think there are some scouts who might think he’s a little lower, but I think overall, there’s a lot to like about his game.”
There’s definitely some intrigue with Novotny’s shot mentality and skating ability. The Flyers could use more goal-scoring talent, guys that can make things happen in the offensive zone and on the power play.
Novotny isn’t the most well-rounded player and the Flyers have a ton of young wingers. That might not make him the ideal pick.
But the Flyers have shown recently they won’t always go with the safe pick. If Novotny is available at No. 21 and the Flyers feel his offensive strengths are high end, he’ll give them a good decision to make.
Interestingly, four of the Flyers’ last five first-round selections have come out of the OHL.
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With the New York Knicks taking down the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the NBA Finals, the 2025-26 season has officially come to an end.
Teams are now allowed to speak to their own free agents and start mapping out their offseason. For the Sixers, that means Kelly Oubre, Jr., Quentin Grimes and Andre Drummond. The likelihood of all three coming back feels very low. Drummond has likely played his last game in Philadelphia. Oubre and Grimes are talented but flawed rotation players who could conceivably be back.
Also, the 2026 NBA Draft is a little over a week away now. Mock drafts have the Sixers taking players like Chris Cenac, Dailyn Swain, Allen Graves and Jayden Quaintance. The options at 22 are very uncertain, but this is a good and deep draft class.
